


Miracle of Life

by Starofwinter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Background Relationships, Childbirth, F/F, Fluff, Lesbians in Space, Medical Procedures, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24442786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/pseuds/Starofwinter
Summary: The trouble with being the chief medical officer is that sometimes, the unforeseen happens and it's up to the CMO to handle it.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	Miracle of Life

Killer is finally finishing with the last of the refugees - and looking forward to at least a sponge bath before he finds a quiet corner to curl up and nap - when he hears the cry, immediately followed by a shout of, “Is there a medic?” He rushes outside the makeshift shelter, only to see a young woman, obviously pregnant, and a second holding her hand.  _ Oh. Fierfek. _

He looks back at one of the younger medics, trying to look a lot less panicked than he feels. “Get the hottest water and cleanest cloths you can, and whatever we have left from the medkits.” As she scurries off, he heads to the couple. “Hi, I’m Killer, head medic - how long ago did the contractions start?” 

“We were just coming to get checked over - the other troopers sent us here - they started about two hours ago?” 

“That’s good, we can keep an eye on things for now, but it may still be a while. What are your names?”

“Ruby,” the pregnant woman says, “This is Aislinn, my wife.” She squeezes the worried Twi’lek’s hand, panting through another contraction. 

“Nice to meet you both. I’m going to time the contractions, alright? I’ll need to do an examination as well, so why don’t we get you somewhere more private?” Killer lets Ruby lean on his shoulder, her grip tight enough to bruise, as they walk slowly to the curtained cubicle in the back of the tent. 

Jayne hurries in, her arms full of supplies and a canteen of steaming water in one hand. “We’re heating more water now,” she says, and gives the couple a skittish smile as Killer thanks her and gently shoos her out.

Killer doesn’t have the experience for this, but there’s no one else, so he’s going to do the best he can. He’s studied reproduction and birth for the species the 501st is most likely to encounter - just in case something like this happened - and he’s glad for it now. The exam goes smoothly, and he explains each step as he works. 

Aislinn still looks apprehensive, and finally she asks, “Why is a medic named Killer?”

Ruby hisses and elbows her, but Killer just laughs. He might sound a little punch-drunk, but he hopes they don’t notice. It isn’t like he’s not used to the question by now, civvies didn’t usually get their humor. “Because I’m very bad at being a soldier,” he says with a self-conscious shrug, then adds with a reassuring smile, “I’m a lot better at being a medic, I promise.” 

It gets a smile out of Ruby at least, and Aislinn looks less worried than before. “How long will it take?” she asks, and Killer shakes his head.

“It’s different for everyone. Is this your first?”

Ruby nods. “We were supposed to be going to stay with my mother for the birth, but then the Separatists came, and we couldn’t leave.” Her eyes go shiny with tears, and Aislinn squeezes her hand. 

Killer rests a hand over her shoulder. “They won’t be a problem ever again.” They sit in silence for a few seconds before he goes back to work, trying to get everything ready for the next hours. He knows it’ll be a long time before the baby comes, but the lull right now is the best time to get prepared.

While he does, he learns more about them. How they met - Ruby was a farmer, while Aislinn ran the bar in town, they’d met at the big harvest festival and it was love at first sight - and how they’d been trying for a child for the last couple of years. They’re both nervous, but giddy with excitement over the knowledge that they’ll be able to meet the baby they’ve been so eager for soon, and that eagerness is only a little counteracted by the contractions that are slowly speeding up. Aislinn is attentive, and Killer is relieved that he can rely on her to help with keeping Ruby as relaxed and calm as possible while he monitors the vitals of both her and the baby, and makes sure everything is going smoothly, and keeps up the illusion that this is a perfectly normal day for him. 

It’s almost ten hours later when everything happens all at once. Ruby grips Aislinn’s hand as the contractions pick up, and then the baby is in his hands, already screaming and red-faced with distress. Killer takes deep breaths of his own, a little glad that the mothers are distracted as he cleans up the infant with shaking hands, marveling at how  _ small _ and fragile he is. 

Just as quickly as it had started, the worst of the labor is over, and the family is resting quietly together. He checks their vitals again - almost textbook perfect - and then he staggers to the makeshift camp showers. He doesn’t know when or  _ why _ he starts to cry, but he can’t stop, the cold water washing his tears away as surely as the remaining blood and everything else. It’s relief, he thinks, and maybe awe. He’s never been a part of bringing life  _ into _ the galaxy before, and it’s overwhelming, and he’s too tired to try to keep himself in check after nearly five days without sleep.

By the time he calms himself down, he’s dried off and back at the cot he’d been nudged toward by Jayne. He tells her to wake him up if anything changed at all, and she just trips him onto the cot and tells him to get some rest. Before he can threaten to write her up for insubordination - they both knew he never would - he’s asleep. 

When he wakes up, it’s to the news that Ruby’s mother had just gotten in, and if he said it was safe, she’d be taking them to her home in the next biggest town.

He’s still exhausted, but it’s manageable, and he smiles as he walks over to see Ruby and Aislinn, cradling their baby as he sleeps. “How are you feeling?”

Ruby grins at him, still drawn but glowing - he’d never expected that part to be true, but she  _ is _ \- and says, “Better than I felt last night.”

He laughs and keeps chatting with them while he does the exam, and mercifully, everything seems fine. Ruby’s mother promises to take her to the midwife in town, just to be sure, and they’re on their way in less than an hour.

Before they leave, Ruby passes the baby to Aislinn and takes his hands. “You’re a good man, Killer. Don’t ever doubt that,” she says, quiet and fierce, with her eyes shining, “Thank you.”

“I-” What can he say to that? His throat is closing up as he whispers, “Thank you.”

She pats his hand before she lets go, and then smiles at him. “We’re naming him after you, you know.”

“Killer?” he asks, a startled, choked laugh escaping.

Aislinn grins at him. “It’s a good name, for a good man. Good luck out there.” 

And then they’re gone, leaving Killer staring after them, a smile on his lips and warmth in his chest. He carefully tucks the memory of that feeling away, something precious and cherished, so he can hold onto it for as long as he can. There’s still so much to do, and he knows it won’t be easy, but the moments like this… they help, even when it feels the darkest.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% happy with the ending, but I've been working on this for two years and two weeks exactly and I'm ready to be done. I really hope you liked it!


End file.
